Paul Lambert (actor)

Paul Lambert (August 1, 1922 – April 27, 1997) was an American character actor who appeared in movies and on television.

Paul Lambert
in Death Wish II (1982)
Born(1922-08-01)August 1, 1922
DiedApril 27, 1997(1997-04-27) (aged 74)
Years active19561995

Early life

Lambert was born in El Paso, Texas, and grew up in Kansas City, Missouri. During World War II he was a lieutenant in the Army Air Forces.[1]

Career

He trained at the Actors' Lab in Los Angeles[1] and then moved to New York City, where he first worked Off Broadway, subsequently appearing with Rod Steiger on Broadway in a revival of Clifford Odets's Night Music (a credit that is often misrepresented as A Little Night Music because of the similarity of the titles and the fact that the Sondheim musical featured an actor named Mark Lambert).

Lambert's husky dark looks suited his frequent screen portrayals of gangsters and other heavies. In addition, he often appeared as authority figures such as executives, judges, and police officers.

Among his major films were Spartacus (his movie debut),[1] Planet of the Apes (in a brief role as a simian minister), and All the President's Men, in which he played the national editor of The Washington Post.

It was on television that Lambert played his biggest roles. He acted on 300 shows and appeared fourteen times on CBS's Playhouse 90 anthology series, more than any other actor.[2] He appeared twice in the role of Yates in the 1962 syndicated adventure series The Everglades, with Ron Hayes. Lambert was a frequent guest star on 1960s television (including roles in Gene Barry’s TV Western Bat Masterson, in 1959 as unscrupulous financier Charles Hamilton in the episode “Flume to the Mother Load”, and in 1960 as the crooked Augustus Ulbrecht in “The Rage of Princess Ann”) and was able to maintain a successful career into the 1990s.

Though he never became a "name" actor, Lambert was often able to secure billing that eluded his contemporaries, such as the coveted title-sequence billing he received both times he appeared on The Man From U.N.C.L.E., in "The Bow-Wow Affair" (1965) and "The Take Me To Your Leader Affair". He played a doctor in the 1960 Twilight Zone episode "King Nine Will Not Return". He also appeared in three episodes of the CBS courtroom drama series Perry Mason, twice in 1961 as Ben Nicholson in "The Case of the Envious Editor," and murdered news correspondent Lawrence Vander in "The Case of the Renegade Refugee." He also appeared as Del Compton in the 1965 episode, "The Case of the Mischievous Doll" and in four episodes of Hogan's Heroes. He was also recognized for playing the French-Canadian revolutionary Durain in The Wild Wild West episode "The Night of the Firebrand". In 1970, he guest-starred in an episode of The Silent Force. Lambert also appeared in a Barnaby Jones episode titled, "Sing a Song of Murder" (04/01/1973).

Death

Lambert died at the age of 74 at St. John's Medical Center in Santa Monica, California, where he resided.[1]

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1960SpartacusGannicus
1962House of WomenRichard Dunn
1967The Big MouthMoxie
1968Planet of the ApesMinister
1971A GunfightEd Fleury
1972Where Does It Hurt?Dr. Pinikhes
1972Play It as It LaysLarry Kulik
1974Mama's Dirty GirlsHarold
1976All the President's MenNational Editor
1976SparkleMoe
1979Scavenger HuntUncredited
1982Death Wish IINew York Police Comm.
1982Wrong Is RightDefense Secretary
1983Blue ThunderHolmes
1983Cracking UpJoe - Carpet Installer
1985Avenging AngelArthur Gerrard
1992Rain Without ThunderSwedish Doctor

References

  1. Oliver, Myrna (May 3, 1997). "Paul Lambert; Veteran Actor of TV, Movies". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
  2. "Paul Lambert, 74, Actor in Films and on TV". The New York Times. May 6, 1997. Retrieved January 5, 2021.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.